Air Quality Sensor

[Al115]

Air quality sensor (for climate control) is Main Stealer only?

Yep - another month, another few hundred quid to spend on the R. They're not cheap to run, these things!

[Yosser]

Ignore it - that's what most folk do ;)

[Harvey]

Air quality sensor (for climate control) is Main Stealer only?

Yep - another month, another few hundred quid to spend on the R. They're not cheap to run, these things!

Have you tried cleaning it first ?.

[Al115]

Not yet, but I shall try cleaning it. I understand that it involves some kind of consumable element, though - need to do some more research.

If it stops working completely, will it FUBAR my a/c? I wouldn't be surprised if the car decided to turn off the whole a/c unit... or perhaps, not start the engine :)

[M-R-P]

Go at it with a strong vacuum cleaner for a few minutes. They get bunged-up with fluff and if you smoke in the car, tar.

If it packs-up completely, it'll shut down most if not all of the air controls :(

[Harvey]

I think it just shuts off the outside air flap same as manual button.
I would guess the default is flap open.
Have you had codes checked yet.
Default on P2 windows auto down & heated seats on.knowing what our cars are like.:smile:

[Al115]

MRP - are you talking about the interior sensor behind the little grille in the centre console, or the air quality sensor under the scuttle panel?

Harvey - yes - read the codes - that's how I got to the fault in the first place! Annoyingly, the codes are normally right :(

[M-R-P]

I'll get me coat....

[volvokid]

Harvey is correct, if you want to have the air on recycle all you need to do is push the button yourself now, as in most cars. mine is faulty too, its a common thing its the only fault on the car that I'm not going to bother my rear end about repairing

[Harvey]

harvey is correct, if you want to have the air on recycle all you need to do is push the button yourself now, as in most cars. Mine is faulty too, its a common thing its the only fault on the car that i'm not going to bother my rear end about repairing

yet........

[volvokid]

yet........

Ive never even found the need for it, MRG told me its an expensive fix for basically no reward

[Al115]

You're right - but annoyingly I will do it anyway - I'm being fastidious (my other half would say, obsessive) about the car for some stupid reason!

Plus, I don't trust it not to suddenly decide to throw an electronic wobbly, and I don't want to give it any excuses :D

[Harvey]

So what sort of money is a new one ,they are around £150 mark I think.

[volvokid]

I honestly think its the only part of the car I wouldn't waste money on. Let me know if you notice a difference im hopping you say you dont, I dont want another excuse to spend money haha

[stribo]

How do you know if it's not working?

[volvokid]

I plugged mine into vida and it said there.

[Al115]

Vida, plus mine doesn't ever switch itself to recirculate even if I'm sitting behind a bus.

It was £167.94 inc VAT and 10% discount.

[Harvey]

Vida, plus mine doesn't ever switch itself to recirculate even if I'm sitting behind a bus.

It was £167.94 inc VAT and 10% discount.

Would be nice to see a photo of offending item please.

[Al115]

Will do so when I fit it!

It looks quite unimpressive for the money, it has to be said :)

[stribo]

I haven't got VIDA, just a generic code reader, but I haven't noticed it change from fresh air to recirculate. In the scheme of things, it's not a biggie.

[Al115]

It's really not, is it! :)

[LeeT5]

Have you tried cleaning it first ?.

You cannot clean an AQS. It has special crystals that act as a filter. If any polluted air (containing air born contaminants) pass through the crystals or on them, they alter the resistance that is constant. Therefore, closing the exterior recirculation flap.
Once resistance falls back to normal tolerance then the flap opens. They react very quickly. Once the crystals are heavily contaminated then the sensor stops working.
the crystals work similarly to a charcoal filter. Once they are blocked, they stay blocked.

Choosing not to replace a faulty AQS will just mean your air quality will not be good in the car and also your pollen filter won't be as affective for as long as it will be constantly bombarded by the crap in the atmosphere and on the roads.

AQS work really effectively when using AUTO climate and will make a difference if you do a lot of motorway driving.
They generally last about 60 - 80k so they are well worth replacing when faulty.

I replaced mine last year with no reported problems and the air is always fresh as a daisy in my car!!

[Al115]

Thanks - I feel better now for spending the £££!

Will have it fitted before heading off on our Le Mans roadtrip next Friday.

[volvokid]

Well I just got my car back from being serviced with no mention of said sensor. I askd them why they never told me about having a faulty sensor. Apparently there was no fault code.

[LeeT5]

Well I just got my car back from being serviced with no mention of said sensor. I askd them why they never told me about having a faulty sensor. Apparently there was no fault code.

Firstly, check that your car actually has an AQS. Its not standard but an option.
Secondly, If they say there is no fault code then it must be working ok.

[volvokid]

Firstly, check that your car actually has an AQS. Its not standard but an option.
Secondly, If they say there is no fault code then it must be working ok.

It does have it as mrg said it was faulty

[stribo]

I think they were standard on the P2 Rs.

[volvokid]

I thought so too both mine and my dads have it.

[LeeT5]

It does have it as mrg said it was faulty

That's fine, but now your saying its ok?

[volvokid]

I never said it was ok. Strathmore said it was. Im going to read my codes when I get a chance.

[jdavis]

Am I right in thinking if you have this fitted then the recirculation button will have man and auto on it?

[Al115]

Where it has to go, and what it looks like:

21777

21778

21779

21780

Done. First time I've had NO fault codes on my car for a long time, I suspect!

[stribo]

Am I right in thinking if you have this fitted then the recirculation button will have man and auto on it?

That would make sense as I'm not sure how it could work automatically with the AQS.

[Al115]

If anyone wants the old one to d*ck with and see if they can work out how to fix a faulty one - let me know and I will pop it in the post. Otherwise it's going in the skip.

[LeeT5]

If anyone wants the old one to d*ck with and see if they can work out how to fix a faulty one - let me know and I will pop it in the post. Otherwise it's going in the skip.

You cant fix them mate. Once the sensitive filter is blocked up with impurities and contaminants from the atmosphere - it's useless! It's not something that can be cleaned.

Bin it.

[Al115]

Yeah, I was wondering if anyone wanted to disassemble it and try to swap the filter (alone) out - but it's on its way to the bin :)

[jardon]

Has this worked Al?

[Nick0]

Where it has to go, and what it looks like:

21777

21778

21779

21780

Done. First time I've had NO fault codes on my car for a long time, I suspect!

Al how difficult is this to do, and what's the part number? This came up on my last service but like most I chose to ignore it!

[LeeT5]

Its a very easy job. Once you get the scuttle panel off it will take you 5 minutes.

Just remember to buy a set of scuttle panel clips from Volvo before you start as they are use once only. I broke 3 of them trying to get them out. You'll need to punch the center of the clip out to remove the clips.

[jdavis]

How do you know if it is fitted guys other than physically checking?

[burchi]

Yeah, I was wondering if anyone wanted to disassemble it and try to swap the filter (alone) out - but it's on its way to the bin :)

I had to replace this part on my R.. Stopped the automatic Recirc function working.

Just to p1ss you off though Al, I got mine from FCP Groton in the USA... Shade under £90. I had no tax to pay though as got it delivered to a mate who was working in USA for a couple of weeks to bring it back...

All worked fine after though.

Cheers


Ian

[LeeT5]

How do you know if it is fitted guys other than physically checking?

If you plug in Vida/dice it will tell you on the front page screen for your vehicle. It will say air quality sensor - yes or No.

[960kg]

I am always prepared to learn and this sensor is new to me, but what bugs me is ...so ok you pay £100 for a new one and it tells you the quality of the air going down that huge hole to the fan and heater in the car but if the sensor says bad quality air ....what then are you going to do about it??...stop the car and walk or what!

Or do i have the wrong end of the stick?

[silverhorse]

Or do i have the wrong end of the stick?

Yep, you do!!:redface:
If the sensor detects poor air quality, it shuts the big flap so it recirculates the good quality air that you already have in the cabin. No bad air can now get in.

[960kg]

Ok, i get that ... but Volvo say only have the recirculating setting on for 15minutes so what happens after that ...stale air.... or if suddenly you drive through good air the sensor opens it again....is that it?

Sorry, but have to satisfy my initiative stick!

[stephenevans99]

Sometimes I wish I had an Air Quality Sensor on the INSIDE - when the wife farts - it makes my eyes water :(

[jdavis]

Had my t5 and my dad's d5 on vida, both showing air quality sensor faulty. I wonder if riverside will give discount for buying 2 lol.

[volvokid]

Last time I was at stratmore getting my car serviced I asked why they didn't inform me of my sensor fault. They said there was no code lol mrg pulled the code and so did I prior to getting the service.

[jdavis]

Yeah it came straight up for me too. Strange